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News Release
6-8-09
WEST VIRGINIA BEEF INDUSTRY MARKING FATHER’S DAY WITH PRESENTATION TO GOVERNOR, AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER
Representatives of West Virginia’s beef cattle industry will present Governor Joe Manchin, III, and Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass with prime cuts of “Beef for Father’s Day” at a ceremony at Governor’s Mansion Tuesday, June 9, at noon. This event will be closed to the public.
Members of the West Virginia Beef Industry Council (WVBIC), West Virginia Beef Cattlemen’s Association (WVBCA) and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will represent the state’s 12,500 cattle farmers, who raised 415,000 cattle in 2008 worth nearly $330 million.
“This celebration is a longtime tradition of the state’s cattle producers, and highlights the value of beef in a healthy diet,” said Commissioner Douglass. “It also reminds West Virginia citizens that agriculture is all around them every day.”
Beef cattle production is second only to the state’s poultry industry in overall economic impact. But unlike the more concentrated poultry industry, cattle are produced in nearly every county throughout the Mountain State.
Besides being a favorite selection for the grill, beef is a power pack of nutrients that benefits people of all ages in maintaining both day-to-day and long-term health. A three-ounce serving of beef is an excellent source of protein and a good source of iron, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, while contributing less than 10 percent of the calories to a 2,000-calorie diet.
The beef industry has a demonstrated record of commitment to food safety, reducing the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef more than 80 percent between 2000 and 2005, and has consistently increased per-animal production. In 1980, an average animal produced 449 pounds of meat. The same animal produced 619 pounds in 2006.
For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org or www.wvbeef.org.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
“The Basis of All Wealth is Agriculture.”
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